James O'Connor - where will he go?

[Ruggo]

I didnt want to see the Reds mauled by losing there star players and i would hate to see it happen to the Force as well..

This isnt a case of two wrongs making a right...

In addition, the Force were effectively forced to pillage the Reds players because they had no-one else, the same cant be said for the Reds currently.

It isn't a case for the national interest either. The Force did what's best for the Force back then and now the Reds must do what's best for the Red's. The Australian franchises are in competition with each other so I don't get all this sharing the love.

Just announce it James one way or the other so we can all move on.

 

[TOCC]

Sorry for going off topic...

Interesting to hear, and very good for Rugby if you're hopefully correct.

The rumour I heard was insane (and if true, worrying for Union) - NRL salary caps at about $7.5M / year, with a grant of just over that to each club. With the Union salary cap to be $4.4M in the first year, or thereabouts, for more players in the squad, the NRL clubs could've easily have had their pick of players - even the players with the ARU top up grants, in all likelihood.

I suspect that this rumour, though, started on the assumption of a similar or larger TV deal than the AFL got.

the NRL will also be increasing there squads from 25 to 30 to account for the longer season

 

[MrTimms]

I have said this before, but people have to let go of the events when the Force came in. Learn from them sure, but let go.

You hear it all the time, "QLD suffered because the Force took all their players" Granted they did, but they didn't abduct the players, the players went because they could and they wanted to. If QLD wasn't so shit then, they would have stayed, like they are now.

The Force may have made highlighted the problem, but the exodus was a symptom, not THE issue.

 

[RedsHappy]

It isn't a case for the national interest either. The Force did what's best for the Force back then and now the Reds must do what's best for the Red's. The Australian franchises are in competition with each other so I don't get all this sharing the love.

Ruggo, spot on. I make no apologies for this assessment: it's been an embarrassing and quite ridiculous amount of time since our country won an S14/15, or a BC or a 3N. To fix that, amongst other things, we need at least 2 S15 franchises that are like Manchester Uniteds or the Crusaders (as broad, long-terms success analogues holding and producing many world-class players than can win both local and bigger championships).

This will only happen with an essentially Darwinian system (forgive the close reference to you ;-) ) that promotes 'the best being attracted to the best' and all the virtuous circles that come from that. I would love the Reds to be one such team for, say, the next 3-5 years, but I would rather have it as, say, both the Tahs and the Force being that, than just say one only Aus team being that, and all the rest effectively year in year out being also-rans and stragglers. In this mode of evolution each team, like a species, must fend for itself, meaning investment in the best management, coaching, player development etc, and any team that under-invests and gets the big things wrong, will justifiably die and/or be taken over by better managers (as happened in 2009 in QLD) for major repair, etc. Any de facto 'let's share the best players around' model will only lead to a kind of lowest common denominator mediocrity of outcome, with 4-5 'ordinary' teams and no big crowds and no big trophy cabinets. And, ultimately, the better, deeper player development and feedstock systems in the best teams will spawn many good young 'spare' players who'll want to join other teams to gain more experience and prominence for themselves, etc. And this is all good and will breed good outcomes at an aggregated national level faster than other other modality that shapes where the best players end up. (My advocacy of the above is one of the major reasons I have problems with the illusory, happy-sounding, 'salary cap' policy now so favoured by the ARU.)

 

[RedsHappy]

I have said this before, but people have to let go of the events when the Force came in. Learn from them sure, but let go.

You hear it all the time, "QLD suffered because the Force took all their players" Granted they did, but they didn't abduct the players, the players went because they could and they wanted to. If QLD wasn't so shit then, they would have stayed, like they are now.

The Force may have made highlighted the problem, but the exodus was a symptom, not THE issue.

Absolutely 100% on steroids spot on Mr T! The mediocrity, poor management, etc then at the QRU, and (related) non-winning Reds, were at the heart of that exodus. It's just Reason No 127 why today professional sports organisations in major codes have to be very well run, always on their toes, producing winning teams, and having attractive retention systems and conditions through which to hold their best players wherever possible.

 

[I like to watch]

Didn't Bieber do this last time he signed a contract?
Let everyone toss & turn about who was going to sign him?

 

[Scotty]

Some good points RH.

When we last won the RWC, the Brumbies and Reds were regularly in the super finals (well the Reds had made it twice plus one 5th place and the Brumbies once plus two 5th places).

At the moment, unfortunately it is hard to see any of the oz teams outside of the Reds improving next year.

 

[daz]

Agree Scotty.

I find it a strange fact that with the Force, Rebels and Brumbies pulling the tail end of the S15 ladder, the Wobs are ranked #2. Obviously this ranking is a carry over from the last international window and it remains to be seen if the Wobs go up or down this year, but given that there has been little Oz S15 finals footy played over the last "x" years, it does suggest that S15 form and Wallaby form are somehow very seperate entities.

I know for some of you this is old and very obvious news, but for mine it suggests that our top flight S15 and Wobs players are very good, but in the context of their respective S15 teams there is a significant gap to the next level down.

Or, it could all be bollocks and we just have shitty S15 management....

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

RH I agree with the assessment that we need a couple of perennial finalists to keep the standard high at international level. From my own parochial point of view, I would obviously prefer one of those teams was the Force, but at the end of the day if Australian rugby is strong, then I'm happy.

 

[daz]

Just announce it James one way or the other so we can all move on.

What is with all the soap opera drama players go on with?

Note to players: We don't give a flying rats fart if you are looking at options, just do us a favour and remember that not every thought that passes through your head needs to be transmitted to us via twitter/facebook/newpapers, etc. Tell your managers to do their jobs quietly and let us know the outcome at the press conference.

We have more important stuff to worry about, such as thinking of new and witty ways of shooting down our fellow GAGR members......

 

[Godfrey]

Guys, J'OC isn't a journalist and neither is his manager. The social networking remarks are generally in response to the media furor, not instigating it.

You have to fill the sports section with something when games aren't on.

 

[RedsHappy]

Agree Scotty. I find it a strange fact that with the Force, Rebels and Brumbies pulling the tail end of the S15 ladder, the Wobs are ranked #2. Obviously this ranking is a carry over from the last international window and it remains to be seen if the Wobs go up or down this year, but given that there has been little Oz S15 finals footy played over the last "x" years, it does suggest that S15 form and Wallaby form are somehow very seperate entities. I know for some of you this is old and very obvious news, but for mine it suggests that our top flight S15 and Wobs players are very good, but in the context of their respective S15 teams there is a significant gap to the next level down. Or, it could all be bollocks and we just have shitty S15 management....

Daz: check out (if you feel like it): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRB_World_Rankings

The pages there contain precise detail on these rankings, how they are calculated, etc. Bares viewing as this is quite a 'special' ranking system designed for pre-RWC use in essence.

I am not knocking the value of a 'no 2 IRB ranking' but, for me, with no BC, no 3N for many years, etc, it just doesn't feel quite so. And then I add the dark horror of 2010, which I know you relate to: Walls and Aus A (our second cream team) played England no less than 5 times last year, 4 at home, we managed to win only the very first, when England were at their touring rustiest, so one draw and 3 more losses. I fear England at this RWC unless the total performance of our forwards and, generally, place kicking success ratio, improves markedly over 2010. 'To never, ever, forget Marseilles' should be our chant, and I think we have not yet recalled that awful day quite enough.

 

[Ruggo]

Absolutely 100% on steroids spot on Mr T! The mediocrity, poor management, etc then at the QRU, and (related) non-winning Reds, were at the heart of that exodus. It's just Reason No 127 why today professional sports organisations in major codes have to be very well run, always on their toes, producing winning teams, and having attractive retention systems and conditions through which to hold their best players wherever possible.

The smartest thing the QRU has done is look outside of the circle and hire a CEO with experience in another sport, especially AFL. Jim Carmichael is the forgotten savior of the Reds. He came in with a clear prospective and new how to market a product to a wider audience.

 

[Tangawizi]

Hopefully the delay in him announcing anything has to do with the fact that most of the Reds organization has had a few days off after Friday's match. Back to work tomorrow I think though.

 

[Shiggins]

JOC (James O'Connor) wrote on twitter "Brissy mates last night in Perth- @blueprintbodies chose trigg pizza as last meal, time to reminisce on past week then off to airport!"

Can we read into this? Am I reading it right that he is going too brissy? Or is someone else going? I think someone else is going.


Go the force!!!!

 

[Tangawizi]

I think you've failed to allow for poor grammar on that one. I read it as his "Brissy mate's last night in Perth." And that his mate Blueprintbodies chose pizza as his last meal in Perth.

 

[vidiot]

Calm down!

Brissie mates came for a week. They leave. The last meal they shared before leaving was pizza from here.

People (apparently) tweet all sorts of crap that is somehow, impossibly, less deep or interesting than it appears.

Having said that, I think he's on the move, and if he feels mateless in perth the force are no hope.

 

[Shiggins]

Ahuh so we can read into the mate part. Haha. Fucking twitter is hard sometimes. I do realize how desperate we are too keep him now though. Just waiting too here the bad news. Still trying too keep positive though. I think the love will be at nib this weekend if he stays. It's alot more important than winning this weekend.


Go the force!!!!

 

[todd4]

Calm down!

Brissie mates came for a week. They leave. The last meal they shared before leaving was pizza from here.

People (apparently) tweet all sorts of crap that is somehow, impossibly, less deep or interesting than it appears.

Having said that, I think he's on the move, and if he feels mateless in perth the force are no hope.

Take a look at the menu - baked beans on a pizza?....... surely he tweeted about that...

 

[rugbysmartarse]

I hear if his first pass this weekend is left to right, he's going to the reds, but if his first pass is right to left, he's going to Melbourne.

Of course if he kicks he's going to the tahs, and if he drops the ball he'll be at the brumbies